Foxtel's Country Music Channel (CMC) was switched off on Wednesday after 16 years, as part of a new partnership with ViacomCBS. Programming director Tim Daley shared a heartfelt Facebook post revealing the three final songs that played on repeat until the channel went offline.
Daley wrote: 'We're not sure exactly when CMC will switch off, so we couldn't select a final song. We picked three which will repeat from Midnight.' The chosen tracks were Steve Forde's The Letter, Slim Dusty's Looking Forward Looking Back, and Fanny Lumsden's This Too Shall Pass.
Australian songwriter Phil Barton thanked Daley for his contributions, stating: 'I want to say a massive thank you to Tim Daley for all you have done for Australian Country Music... you've been a real champion for our songs and artists.'
The closure follows Foxtel's announcement in May that it would axe its music channels MAX, Country Music Channel, and V, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pay TV provider had also cut around 70 jobs the previous week.
In a statement, a Foxtel spokesperson said: 'These are changes we had to make to face up to the impacts of COVID-19 on our business and a very different future for everyone involved in the media, entertainment and sporting industries.'
On Wednesday, MTV Australia launched new channels on Foxtel, including MTV HITS, Club MTV, MTV Classic, and CMT, which will play country music.
